Mini-Distraction-Side-Projekt = Done!

My inspirations --






First, I cut a piece of canvas in a semi-circle, and sewed the ends to make the base. I then cut a long piece of cotton organza (3x longer than the circle.) I pressed the organza in pleats...


And then tacked one end of the pleats to the canvas 'frame'....


I then covered the canvas with the pleated organza, stretching the pleats a bit at the top, since it flares at the top...


Once the pleats were in place, the raw edge was folded back over once again, and tacked down...


Then, I cut a lining piece the same shape as the fillet, with 1/2" seam allowances. I tacked the tops and bottoms...


And the fillet before the barbette was finished...


Barbette, fillet, and my caul taking the place of a net (for now)...


And a back view...


And the front...


The barbette/fillet combo can be worn in conjunction with a veil, or without the net.

Finally Finished!!! (Caul edition)

I finally buckled down and finished the caul. It only took a few hours to do, just had to sit down and do it! There was one row in the middle that I missed a square, I redid it, and then noticed a few lines down that I had missed two more on that same row! Argh!


Finished!! Started on the cutting...


The pulled work lived up to it's name, and 'pulled' the piece smaller...it shrunk!


And, this is what the new 'fabric' looks like. I think it feels kinda cool...


First I pinned the quarters, then the eighths...


Then pleated between...

And now on to more ponderings, but of the usual garb-ish kind...(It's almost the next day!)

So I am thinking thoughts for teh "Red Velvet Italian -O- Doom". I'm trying to reign in thoughts to one thing at a time, so what I'm pondering at the moment is the camacia --


Here is the neckline. I am so dissapointed that we can't see the shoulders. I'm going to rely somewhat on another portrait of similar style, painted within 2 years of my inspiration portrait....


This gown neckline is positioned much lower than my inspiration portrait. I think it has a lot to do with the title; "The Seduction". She almost seems a bit en deshabille with the waist more wrinkly and puckered than one would expect, so I am going to assume that under normal circumstances, her neckline would be a bit higher. Maybe. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

Here are some initial questions on the camacia ..... what is your opinion? (I have come to the realization that not everyone sees in portraits what I *think* I see!)

-It looks like both camacias have a 2-3" 'solid' border around the neckline
Are these bands gathered and smocked, or is the body of the camacia pleated into a a solid 'neckband?
-It looks like both camacias have what seems to be a slit in the band
Does this slit stop at the band, or continue into the camacia body?
-It looks like the neckline of the on both of the camacias is rounded, and the neckline of the gown is square
Am I smoking something, or do you see it too?



-On my inspiration portrait, I'm having a hard time parsing out the button construction. On one hand, it looks like a plain round button (or pearl?) tied together with a thick-ish rope/ribbon/strip of cloth. (That's the bubbly part around the round center) On the other hand, it looks kind of like a floret-type button, with the ties running behind the 'flower' part of the button ensemble.
What do you see? One of the above? Something totally different?
Ok, on to the camacia cuffs and sleeves (The secondary portrait is of no help here--


I think I've pretty much nailed down the following: (Feel free to disagree and share!)

-There are thin-ish gold lines of embroidery running vertically up the length of the sleeve
-The sleeves are very full, and the fabric very fine
-There is gold embroidery around the cuffs of the sleeves
-The cuffs are tightly packed and smocked with gold thread
-There is a small ruffle edge hanging out the outside edge of the smocking

-The biggest question I have with the sleeves are the fastenings:
Is the fastening two gold buttons, tied together with black cord that has a gold aiglet, or is the dark parts shadows from inside the sleeve, and the gold is a button through a loop?

I have some more other different ideas for the gown sleeves and construction, but that will have to wait!

Even More Walnut Purse Envy....

OMG, it is teh cute! I dies of it!


Link:
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O74994

The accompanying information is this:

Object

Purse

Date

1600-1650

Techniques

Walnut shell, covered in silk, embellished with metal thread, lined with silk, with plaited silk drawstrings

Artist/designer

Unknown

Place

England

Detail

T.57-1978 left; T.172-1921 right

Museum number

T.57-1978

Purses were associated with saving as well as spending, and this was sometimes alluded to in their decoration. Embroidered or beaded purses in the seventeenth century often included acorns in their pattern, an exhortation perhaps to 'save and prosper'. This early seventeenth century purse is made from a single nutshell, covered with embroidery and lined and hinged with silk. Barely large enough to contain a few coins, the purse was probably a novelty gift, but its maker may also have had the thought in mind that large oaks grow from tiny acorns.

Credit line

Given by Mr Peter Barker-Mill

(Emphasis mine)

I wish there was more information out there on these little guys. So far, I've found this:
http://www.employees.org/~cathy/walnut_purse.html

Dang, they're cute!


This one is definitely a shell. It's all scrimshaw-y 'n stuff. Also teh cute.

Link-y:
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O78780

And the info:

Object

Purse

Date

1600-1630

Techniques

Mother-of-pearl, lined with brown silk, edged with plaited silk and silver-gilt thread, with a drawstring of the same

Artist/designer

Unknown

Place

England

Dimensions

Height 9 cm (including tassel at base)
Width 6.4 cm
Depth 3 cm

Museum number

T.197-1966

Object Type
In the 17th century, decorative purses such as this own were rarely used to carry money. Their wealthy owners engaged in few commercial exchanges requiring cash. In addition to serving as 'sweet bags' or 'gift wrapping', purses sometimes contained mirrors for grooming. Others functioned as sewing kits, holding needles, thread and tiny scissors.

Materials & Making
Mother-of-pearl, the iridescent lining of the shell of the pearl oyster, was considered an exotic material in the 17th century. It was used as an inlay for furniture and weapons, and carved into small objects such as jewellery, medallions, cameos or in this case, a purse. Here it has been incised in a floral pattern with two Tudor roses, a popular motif during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. Drilled around the edge of each shell is a series of holes, which allow it to be sewn to the silk lining of the purse. The drawstring of the purse is made of plaited silk, with a pearl-shaped tassel of silk and silver-gilt thread.
(Emphasis mine)



Link
http://test.huntmuseum.com/search_objects2.asp?oSearch=Currency

And the info:
Walnut purse
Fruit -- Nut -- Walnut, Textile -- Silk
H (max.) 2.7 x W (max.) 4.4
MG 139/126
Costume; Currency
A walnut shell with silk ties for closing and securing the two halves. Possibly French.
(Emphasis mine. Also, lame description.)

T-24 (days)

Ok, do I want to bust a move on a new outfit for Coronation? If I do, do I want to to a fancy-schmancy? Like-a so --

(I know I want to do this as my next 'fancy' dress, I just don't know if I want to try and get it done in time...hmm...)

Or do I want to start stocking up on camping wear? Like-a so --

(I used to do this period almost exclusively, at least until the Italian Bug bit.....but now I need things to go camping in...almost all of my earlier stuff has gone the way of right socks the world over. A white jacket and a baby blue satin dress do not camping wear make!)

Once upon a time I had wimpoles, veils, hoods, and kirtles aplenty...where'd they all dissapear to?? At least they're not hard to make again. Just annoying.

Side-track Mini-projekt #4325

'Italian Pocket' (Saccoccia) = Finished

STOP THE PRESSES!!!!

My sewing room is (mostly) organized!!


The voodoo goddess of the sewing room. (She often demands a blood sacrifice before the completion of any project. Otherwise, threads break, needles bend, and seams fly askew.)


The doors actually *close*!! This is the first time since I started moving my sewing things in! And some of the booty inside....Teh stash....it grows! (I'm not showing the other half of the closet. It's not nearly as neat as this side. One day, I'll get another set of shelves and set them up on the other side. (The shelves are about 2/3 wider than what can be seen in this pic.)


Moving clockwise through the room...the sweatshop table with multiple machines, the steamer and ironing board acutally put away! (The tunic is hanging from the steamser)


Continuing in a clockwise motion around the room....the main source of light in the room. (Thank you, sis!!) Then some tubs that will eventually be put away in the closet-O-doom. Then we have the corner desk for drawing, computering, and serging. Next to that is my reference books (oh how I love them), and Bertha, the DD, is hiding in her naked shame behind the door.

One day, I want to move the table to the wall with the tubs, put a loveseat or couple of cozy chairs in the bay window for handsewing. I am going to try to corral my crafting to this room only, and give up the coveted corner of the couch that has been overrun with pins and needles and large baskets of sewing gear. Central to this plan are the seating, and the installation of a television on top of the corner desk to listen to movies while sewing. If I can keep the room at a decent state of organization, I'll move my office in here as well. I really need somewhere I can close the door, especially for conference calls.

Oh Miss Hooooooooolly......look what I foooooooound!!!

**EDIT: Original link here:
http://mdzx.bib-bvb.de/codicon/Blatt_bsb00012873,00009.html?prozent=1

And another zibie:


So, my two main questions are these:

1. This book was illustrated by Erasmus Hornick, a Flemish printmaker/goldsmith, who lived in Germany..... IS HE ILLUSTRATING A STYLE OF ITALY, OR HAS THE ZIB PHENOMENON LEAKED OUT INTO THE REST OF EUROPE?

2. The book that contains these pictures is called "Ornamental Silverware Designs"......ARE THE ZIBS SUPPOSED TO BE IN SILVER?? (I've only ever seen them in gold)

Lame-y lame-head, and lack of posting....(and massive tunic update)

I got distracted.....again. Sheesh! I swear, I will finish a project! This time around, I was distracted by the thought of handsewing an entire outfit for mah honee. I started out with the tunic......I have one gusset and an underarm to sew up, hem, and I'm done. I've been totally lame and have not posted any pictures!

I made a slap-dash tunic for 12th night, and there were some fitting issues. I used the basic layout below: (rock on, Paint!)

This is pretty much a basic standard pieced tunics that everyone in the SCA knows.

The problem I ran into is the bit between the underarm gusset and the top of the gore....mah honee is a beefy man, and to make the large central rectangular piece big enough to go around the middle would make the shoulder seams go way too far down his arm. I was totally stuck, and it took me a little time looking at tunics and tunic patterns and thinker-ating to figure out how to get this to fit the way I wanted it to. This picture is the one I took for my patterning inspiration....(click pic to go to link)


The biggest inspiration is the side gore that goes all the way up under the arm....voila! I think the triagular sleeve gusset is supposed to go on the back of the arm....but with my construction method, I decided it would be better to have it under the arm, meeting up with the top of the side gore. Make sense? Nah? How 'bout a Paint picture?


(Left, a pretty Paint rendering of the pattern, Right, my scribbles and notes I used for cutting.)

Ok, so that doesn't make a whole lot of sense either. Basically the short side of the arm gusset attaches to the top of the side gore, making it a big long 'ole triangle with a funky-shaped top. The seam where the two meet makes up the underarm portion of the tunic. The sleeve cap sections are about 2/3 the size of the overall sleeve size, and with the gores inserted, it makes a nice fan-shape. Like-a so:

(Paint is a beeotch with perspective. The triangular gore is inserted, the sleeve seams are straight.)

And this is how it all went together....

(Left, seams and pieces marked out. Right, tunic viewing underarm gusset and side gore. Whoa! I need to steam this bad boy!)

I am not a hand-sew-ey person, but I remember at some point in the past, reading an article about the stab-stitch lines on either side of the seam. I've seen people machine sew the seam, and then either hand sew or machine sew on either side of the seam, catching the seam allowance. (I admit, I've done this, and for no other reason than I've seen other people do it.) According to the article, which I cannot place for the life of me, this is backwards to what it *should* be. The seam allowances are tacked down (or folded over and hidden, then the two finished pieces are whipped together. I really REALLY like this method! It's pretty dang fast, and super-duper strong. It seems like repairs would be a snap, too.

Hm, maybe one more Paint picture, and I'll stop blabbering! ;)


This is how I read and understood the mystery article. I may be completely wrong, but at any rate, this is how I sewed the tunic.

I'll post pictures of mah honee wearing it after I finish, and get all the wrinkles steamed out! (That steamer has been very handy!)

I've been thinking PieCrust thoughts...

"Pie Crust" hats, that is. Like-a-so:

(This particular pic is cut off at the top, but you get the idea?)

Anyway, so I'm thinking I want to make one. (After all the other stuffola, that is...or, when I need an easily-finished project) Here's the plan....

I'm thinking that I'll make it out of two pieces -- a doughnut that is 1/2" smaller in the center than my head measurement, and as wide as how tall I want the finished hat to be, plus 1/2".


Ok, so here is the progression -- the inside of the doughnut gets sewn to the bottom edge of the inside hat structure. Then, marked 1/8ths around the top edge of the hat structure, and around the outside of the doughnut shape, and tack those marks together.

I have no idea if this will acually work or not, I'll let you know when I do!

Wish me luck!

Distracted yet again...

I wanted to see if I could make buttons. I think I can.


(1- 5 rib double wrapped, 2- 7 rib spiral basketweave, 3- 8 rib over/under, 4- 7 rib spiral basketweave)
I have no idea if that is what they are actually called, I'm just calling them that. :D

I want to make pomanders and little perfume beads!

http://www.elizabethancostume.net/paintedface/index.html

Holy mice-n-cheez! - closing in on the finishline....

I severly underestimated the time it would take to finish this project! I am completely done with the verticals and all the beading. Now all I have left to do it go through the horizontals. I think this portion will go faster, since I'm not beading as I go. I'm kind of bummed that my thread is fraying so much, it's looking 'fuzzy' up-close. *gah* But still, 'twill be teh awesome when I'm done. (at least in my mind!)

I am still wiffling on how to finish the edge. I am slightly leaning towards the solid band.....make it as narrow as possible, and bead gold and pearls at the edge, maybe? I can't face embroidering the band as well right now.



IN OTHER NEWS:
I really need to start working on some of my actual clothing projects soon, not just the accessories. I've washed and dried the linen and the wool for Kao's tunics. I have the black linen thread for the wool tunic, so maybe that will be my next project. I just need to come up with an acceptable pattern.

I am having a serious time coming up with Hospitaller clothing documentation. Everything on the net seems to be based on the same picture in the book I have (the only one I've found so far that touches on Hospitaller clothing), which is a modern artist's interpritation of what they may have worn based on written accounts. I'm not a research-guru, but I like to have some sort of visual basis for what I do. And I have a hard time just making a black tunic, slapping a white cross on it and calling it a Hospitaller's tunic. I'm also kind of weirded out about the whole cloak/hood thing.

Bleah, why couldn't he have chosen something 'easier'??